The stirring in the woods
by Chapilliams
Summary: This is a short story about Alex & Claire and how they manage to fall in love. The story takes place in a combination of episode 8 & 9, season 1.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was early morning and Claire was getting ready to start the day. The first rays of sunlight danced around the room and hit her in the face as she buttoned her jeans with a yawn. She took a moment to shake the tiredness out of her body when a loud noise interrupted her. It sounded like something heavy collapsed and with a terrified look in her eyes she realised where the sound came from. The stables.  
She ran as fast she could downstairs, all she could think of was Blaze - her prized possession.  
Claire quickly got to the stables seeing the door to Blaze's booth, splintered, everywhere on the ground. _Blaze_ she thought to herself and felt her heart race, only one thing could have caused this.  
"The brumbies have taken Blaze!" Claire shouted as she could see Becky closing in on her from the shearing shed. "Get some clothes on and I'll call Killarney, we need the chopper!" Claire stated before making her way back to the house. She quickly found her way to the study with such a haste that she knocked over a picture in the hall, leaving an echo of splintered glass through the hall as the frame hit the floor. Normally she would have cursed at herself, knowing she would wake Tess by the smallest noise but she had no care in the world, not this morning, all she could think of was Blaze. She needed her, she was part of her big dream. "Come on Alex, pick up" Claire said restive, she needed him to pick up, now. "What's going on?!" Tess' voice sounded from the doorway. She looked like she was half asleep still, which meant that the picture had to have woken her. "Alex!" Claire said ignore her sister's question as Alex's sleepy husky voice sounded in the phone. "It's the brumbies, they've taken Blaze .."  
Tess suddenly came out of her sleepiness, realising what all the fuss was about. She carefully studied Claire on the phone, the look on her sister's face matched her voice. Tense, to say the least. "What can I do?" Tess asked as Claire hung up the phone."Get some clothes on for starters. Alex is coming with the chopper" Claire said and walked passed Tess, making her look down herself. "Right" she said to herself and started to make her way back to her bedroom.

"You coming with me?" Alex asked with a cheeky smile as Tess came closer to him. He couldn't help but take a second look at her - It was early and she already looked stunning. "No thanks, scared of heights" Tess said with a smile, trying to match his cheekiness. It wasn't a lie, she was scared of heights but two could play that flirtatious game Alex had going. "I'll fly safe, I promise" he said smiling, hoping he could sweet talk her into coming with him. Ever since he met her for the first time she intrigued him and she was new, not from around here. "You can't take no for an answer can you?" Tess said and looked at him with a half smile. "Not when it's you" He smiled before he shortened the distance between them, making Tess weak in her knees. She had a hard time resisting him but she also had a lot of fun holding him back, playing this "Hard to get"-game they had going on. "What is that for?" Tess suddenly asked as she realised Alex what holding a rifle in one of his hands. He quickly looked down at it and looked back with a smile. "You have to be prepared, you never know with brumbies"  
Claire frowned at the sight of her sister and Alex together, their smiles and laughs made it stir inside of her and for a second she felt angry and irritated with Tess. Why couldn't she back off and leave Alex alone? She shook her head trying to get those thoughts out of her system - Why was she even thinking like that, it was just Alex. "I'm coming with you in the chopper" Claire said, trying her best to act like her cheeky self as she walked closer to them "And put the rifle away will you, we are not gonna be needing it" she continued and gave him a harsh look. Most of the people around here never went hunting brumbies without rifles, saying you never knew where you had them but Claire had always disagreed. It was true that brumbies was unpredictable but that was the beauty in them and if you handled them the right way, handled them in their pace there was nothing to fear - That was always the way Jack and her had done it and she intended on keeping it that way.  
"Tess you coming?" Becky yelled from behind, holding Oscar and Buddy's reins. "I'll better .. take the safe transport" Tess said with a smile before turning her back to Alex and Claire. Alex shook his head with a smile and turned to face Claire who felt a sense of relief seeing Tess walk away from him. "You and Becky check the fence line" Claire said and started to walk towards the chopper. "Oh, tell Meg to take the ute to Thomson's paddock, they might have run through there on their way out" she continued and turned around to get a nodd from Becky. "And Nick is checking the creek bay, he'll keep us posted" Alex said and followed Claire to the chopper still holding on to the rifle despite Claire's thoughts on it.  
"Are you seriously bringing it?" Claire asked as Alex took place beside her in the chopper. He looked at the rifle and then at her "Just in case something happens" he smiled and started the chopper before Claire could say anything.

"Are you seeing anything?" Alex asked after 30 minutes of flying around. "Still nothing" Claire said with a shook on her head. She would have thought the brumbies would have appeared by now and she started to fear they were miles and miles away, leaving it impossible to get Blaze back. "She's a good mare that one?" Alex asked, noticing Claire's silence. "I wouldn't have asked you if she wasn't" Claire said and looked at him. "Stallions huh?" he said and turned his face towards Claire. "Nothing but trouble hey?" he continued with a smile and Claire couldn't help but snort. Trouble to say the least. They kept their focus at each other for a while, longer than usual and for a weird reason none of them could take their eyes from one another, for a brief moment it felt like there was a magnetic field forcing them to look at each other until Claire frowned and realised she was staring at Alex Ryan and he at her. She instantly started to feel out of place and grabbed the walkie talkie from her lap, anything to distract her from what just happened. "Becky, you see anything?" she asked and waited for Becky's voice to go through but to Claire's disappointment Tess and her hadn't seen the slightest trail of brumbies, only a vague shadow from Nick coming down the hill on his bike had appeared before them.  
"Alright, keep in touch" Claire said and put the walkie back down. She couldn't believe this was happening. Blaze was the perfect horse, Blaze was her entire dream and now everything was hanging in a thin thread - but just as Claire had started to come to terms with the fact she might had to give up on Blaze something appeared in the distance. "Alex" she said and pushed him gently on the shoulder still keeping her eyes at what was ahead of them. "I see them" he said with a smile and started to stir the chopper to the left to get around the herd. Claire instantly started to smile as she saw Blaze amongst them, she was running beside one of the most beautiful stallions she had ever seen.  
"We need to separate Blaze and the stallion from the rest, I'm gonna close in on them" Alex said and went down a bit lower. Claire nodded with excitement and a smile on her face, she was about to get her prized beauty back. "Becky!" She called in the walkie talkie "We found them, they are heading east of the creek bay, near the National Park"  
"Claire are you there?" Meg's voice suddenly sounded from the walkie talkie just as Claire had informed Becky. "Meg, we found them. They are heading towards the National Park" she answered and waited for Meg to get back. "I'm sorry Claire, we are out - the car overheated" Claire sighed and rolled her eyes at Meg's words. It was just typical that a new problem appeared when one was about to be solved. "Alright, see what you can do" Claire said and looked down on the herd running below them. "I'm gonna land, then we can have a go on them on the ground" Alex said as he had managed to break Blaze and the stallion away from the rest. "I know the spot" Becky's voice sounded through the walkie talkie. "Just get here as fast as you can, we are landing" Claire answered and placed the walkie talkie in her lap again. "We are on our way"

Alex landed the chopper a few meters from Blaze and the stallion, making the stallion nervous and defensive. Claire took a step away from the chopper, amazed by the beauty of the stallion, it was even prettier up close. "Just give me a clean shot Claire" Alex said and prepared the rifle so it was ready to fire.  
"Just wait" Claire said still with her eyes on the stallion. "It will take your head off" Alex answered with a cold voice, knowing just how dangerous brumbies, especially stallions could be. Claire shook her head and started to smile "Alex .. look at him. Just look" She almost whispered, captured by the beauty that was standing in front of her. Alex took a couple of seconds to look at the brown stallion. There was no denying it was beautiful with the brown base, white markings and silky mane but it was also a great danger to them if it got spooked. "Yeah, I can live without it" he said unimpressed by the stallions present. Suddenly Claire started to walk closer towards Blaze who was getting blocked by the stallion. "What are you doing?!" Alex said with a harsh voice as he realised Claire was on her way to Blaze. "I'm getting my mare" She answered corky and full of confidence. Alex shook his head, this was about the stupidest Claire had ever done. He readied the rifle and started to follow Claire, he was ready to take a shot if anything happened.  
"Come on Blaze" Claire said as she was closing in on them, making the stallion neighing and run around Blaze to make sure nothing happened to her. It was feeling trapped and more annoyed by every step Claire took towards them. "Blaze, we had an agreement, remember?" she said, trying to keep herself from freaking out. She had never been so close to a wild stallion before and even though it scared her, she was confident she could get both Blaze and the beauty of a stallion home with her.  
"Is she alright?" Tess asked with a great fear in her voice as her and Becky approached Alex. She didn't know much about horses but it was clear the stallion weren't giving Blaze up without a fight. "Just give me my mare" Claire said with a low voice, ignoring the fact that the stallion got more and more irritated and defensive. Alex had had enough of Claire trying to prove herself, the stallion was to great danger for Claire at this point and without thinking he took aim with the rifle. "No! What if you miss?" Tess said and placed a hand on the rifle to knock it down. She was right, what if he did miss - He was a good shot but it was Claire in between him and the moving stallion. He couldn't risk hitting her instead. Claire was only standing inches from the stallion now, locking eyes with him, feeling her blood rush through her body, trying to make it understand she was in charge around here and not him but before she knew it, the stallion took a sprint forward and knocked her over with great power. She heard the panic in Tess' voice from behind and opened her eyes to see the furious stallion neighing and tripping above her. She felt her heart race, she had no clue how to get out of there and she started to regret she hadn't listened to Alex.  
The stallion suddenly made a jump for it, making Claire cover her head as much as she could and leaving Alex ready to take a shot on it. He fumbled with the safety handle on the rifle, feeling his heart race and blood rushing through his veins. This could not be happening, he couldn't let Claire get hurt but as he was about to pull the trigger Nick almost flew in from the side on his bike, stirring the stallion away from Claire. Leaving Alex both relieved and annoyed. Claire was safe but he was suppose to be the one to make sure of that, not Nick. Claire got up from the ground, half-seated she looked towards Blaze seeing Becky putting the reins on her and a wide smile spread itself on her face. Blaze was safe.  
Alex got to Claire's side fast and reached out his hand to help her back on her feet. As he pulled her up from the ground they locked eyes and he realised how scared he had been to lose her, he couldn't lose her and his heart started to ache thinking of that - why he didn't know, but standing in front of Claire, looking into her eyes stirred something inside of him he didn't know was there.  
"You bloody idiot" Was all he said as he kept looking into her eyes. Claire opened her mouth but nothing came out, she was lost in the blue eyes of his. She was left for words and that was one thing she never was in front of Alex. She kept looking at him, feeling her heart beat faster and the same magnetic field that had covered them in the chopper was back. "I'm okay ..." she finally fumbled out, trying to grasp her head around a useful sentence. "You want to come over later? Tennis and BBQ?" She blurred out, not knowing what else to say but instantly starting to curse herself for ruining the moment they just shared, whatever that moment was. Alex looked a bit surprised as he himself had felt the same moment pass. "Yeah, sure .. to celebrate" he said making sure not to break their stare.  
"That was fantastic! Absolutely fantastic!" Tess said with eager and pushed herself in between Claire and Alex. Claire looked at Tess and gave her a half smile but her eyes quickly found Alex's once again. She didn't understand what just happened between them but something did, she could feel it. Alex took a final look at Claire, slightly irritated by Tess ruining the moment but he couldn't help but think it was for the best anyway - It was Claire, his best mate. Both Claire and Alex broke away from Tess, wanting to widen the distance between them leaving Tess to stand alone. "Well okay, I'll be enthused by my own then" she said and felt the weird tension between Claire and Alex.  
Claire walked to Blaze's side, happy to know she was safe and that her dream still lived on. "Don't you ever do that again. I'm not up for a fight with a stallion every week, hey?" Claire said and smiled as she stroke Blaze's mane. Claire had made her way to the stables, admiring Blaze from a distance, happy to know she was safe and sound and where she was supposed to be. She smiled as Blazed took a playful jump towards one of the other horses out in the ring - She didn't look like she had taken any greater notice of what had happened this morning.  
Claire sighed and leaned back, resting her back against the fence as she watched the last of the sun go down. Her mind found its way to Alex and the odd moment they had shared. She started to question herself about what truly had happened, she know she felt something that hadn't been between them before. It was like a old hidden flame suddenly started to sparkle in her inner but it couldn't and it shouldn't. He was Alex and she was Claire - best mates but somehow she felt herself longing for more and if she wasn't mistaken, Alex as well seemed to feel that longing but who was she kidding? Of course Alex didn't think of her as more than Claire and he had been all over Tess from the moment she had gotten here, which had caused an ache to her heart without realising why, not until today and it broke her heart even more now as she was busy telling herself nothing good would come out of telling Alex about her feelings, she had to let the flame die, keep it from getting bigger - but it was hard.  
She shook her head and cleared it. She had to get herself together, he was just Alex and with that thought she saw his ute pull up in front of the stables and even though she felt sad about the choice she just made, she couldn't help but smile as he got out of the ute. She would much rather kill the flame inside of her than lose him as a mate, she couldn't do without him.  
"Hope you ready to get your butt kicked" Alex said with a racket in his hand as Claire walked towards the ute. She couldn't help but let out a laugh and shake her head. Alex Ryan, always full of himself. "Yeah, we'll see about that" Claire said confident and frowned. "I'll bet ya!" Alex said with his cheeky smile only he could get away with. "Don't do it Claire, you'll never hear the end of it" Nick said with a smile and got out of the ute, knowing too well where this would end.  
"Just because you are scared of losing to me mate" Alex teased his brother. "Yeah?" Nick said and suddenly felt the need to prove Alex wrong. "Yeah" Alex said and closed the door to the ute before stepping away from it, joggling the racket in the palm of his hand. "I think you should put your money where your mouth is then" Nick said and pulled out his custom made racket he had used all through his teenage year when had taken up tennis. "Oh, you are on" Alex said and started to walk towards the house followed by Nick.  
Claire laughed for herself and shook her head - this was typical the Ryan brother's.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"There's so much testosterone in the air tonight" Tess said as her and the others was watching Nick and Alex making each other sweat on the tennis court. "You know how boys are" Claire said and took another sip of her beer before getting up from the chair. "Are you guys done soon, so we others can get in as well?" she asked. "Yeah yeah, in a minute" Alex said without taking his eyes of ball, he was too busy proving he was a better player than Nick. Claire placed herself in the chair again and let out a loud sigh - There was no tennis playing tonight. "I'm gonna go prepare the salad" Meg said "If they even have time and room to eat after this" she continued and got up from the chair. Tess smiled and shook her head.  
"This is getting kinda boring, I'll go help mum" Jodi said and quickly followed Meg into the house. "Oi Jodi, wait up - I need to grab a round of beers" Becky said and got on her feet, gathering the empty bottles on the table before making her way to the kitchen. For a moment Tess and Claire sat in silence, watching the boys play and curse at each other, competing like they had done their entire life.  
"Claire …" Tess suddenly said and broke the silence. A mmh sound from Claire was all she got, it was her way of saying she wasn't much for talking right now but something had been troubling her since the morning and she needed to know whether or not there was anything in it. "You and Alex" Tess continued, making Claire turn her head looking like a questionmark. "There's no me and Alex" Claire said, feeling her heart sink a bit. There wasn't any her and Alex but did she want there to be? Her mind started to wander off and she was back to the moment earlier, the moment she had promised herself to forget about. "Aren't there?" Tess asked, doubting that Claire was telling the truth. "Tess, what are you on about?" Claire asked, knowing Tess was referring to the same moment Claire was trying to forget ever happened.  
"It just seemed like there was something going on between you and Alex after the stallion disappeared and I don't want to get in the way of that" Tess said. She had always felt like there was this unspoken thing going on between Alex and Claire, ever since she had gotten there she had felt it but none of them acted on it, so she had started to question herself, whether it was her imagination or not, especially when Alex seemed to be taking an interest in her. Claire turned to look at Alex and then at Tess. Truth be told, she wasn't sure whether or not she wanted something to be going on or not but taken that Alex had been acting like himself all night, she didn't wanted to give it more thought.  
"Look, me and Alex are mates and that's it" Claire said as convincing as she could, feeling her heart sink again. It ached her more than she thought it would, she wasn't even sure how she felt but the spoken words hit her in a way she hadn't seen coming. She was on the verge to cry, which didn't make the situation better and she knew she had to get out of there before Tess was back at asking because that was without a doubt something that would happen.  
"I'm gonna see what's taking Becky so long and I'll think we'll start on the food soon" Claire said and got up in a hurry, hoping Tess wouldn't suspect anything.

"So, what's the big deal?" Alex asked and placed himself beside Claire on the porch. Claire turned to face him, startled by his presence. "What do you mean?" She asked with a smile, reaching for the beer he was holding out to her.  
"You've been quiet all night" he said and watched her take a sip of the beer. Being this close to her made his mind wander off to what happened earlier. He felt something move inside of him, she did as well he knew she did and it was a feeling he hadn't been able to shake off. "Just a long day" Claire stated with a smile and looked his way. He seemed worried, troubled even and she could feel the tension she had experienced both in the chopper and when he helped her up from the ground.  
"You know, earlier .." Alex said and stopped. He wasn't sure how to go around it and say what was on his mind. "When you called me a bloody idiot?" Claire said, trying to joke as she felt out of place being captured in this tension or whatever it was between them. Alex laughed and pushed to her knee with his. "You were a bloody idiot!" he stated and shook on his head before sipping on his beer again. "Yeah, it was a close one" Claire said and turned her focus to the night sky. She could have been seriously injured, she knew that.  
"No but really, it was a very stupid thing to do Claire" Alex said and suddenly his voice was deep and serious, not a trace of joking to find. "I've been thinking all day, about what happened" he continued but stopped, feeling how much it hurt to only think of what could have happened to her. "You could have gotten badly hurt out there, Claire"  
"I'm fine" Claire said with a low voice as she turned to look at him once again. "I could have lost you Claire …" He stopped, feeling a vale of sadness cover his heart. It was dark thoughts and thoughts he could do without. "Alex I'm okay, you didn't lose me" She said and felt how his worried and hurt look embraced her heart, making it dance knowing he cared. "But I could have and .." Alex stopped and looked down at his feet. He had a plan in his head, he knew what to say and do but so far he had skipped half of it, it was much harder sitting in front of Claire and tell her about his feelings than he had thought. It didn't come as total surprise taking he wasn't much of a talker, let alone a feeling talker. "I just don't want to lose you" he said and looked back up, tears slowly gathering in his eyes, leaving Claire speechless. She had never seen Alex this way before and his watery eyes started to affect her as well. Everything that had happened this morning started to find it's way back to her and she realised, perhaps for the first time today that she could have gotten badly injured, worst case scenario, she could have died and the fact that Alex Ryan was sitting in front of her, telling her he didn't wanted to lose her was the breaking point for her - It was then she realised, that the flame she had been trying to kill had existed throughout all of the years of knowing him.  
A tear started to fall from her eye, leaving a trail of water on her cheek. She quickly turned her head away from Alex, not wanting him to see her cry. "No, don't" he said with a pleading voice and placed his hand on her cheek, gently making her turn her head. "Look at me. Don't turn away" he said with a deep low voice and tears gathering more and more in her eyes. He kept his hand on her cheek, studying every detail in her face, details he hadn't notice before now. She was beautiful, really beautiful - He hadn't seen her like this before, not until now. His thumb dried away a tear at the corner of her mouth before he moved it to her lower lip, feeling the softness on his skin, almost as a blanket of feathers. He leant in, closing the distance between them, only inches was between them now and he could feel her breath on his face. Her breathing was getting heavier and she felt her heart starting to beat faster than ever before, his touch made everything inside of her scream and every cell in her body danced. "Can I … Kiss you?" he asked, still piercing his eyes into hers. She nodded, unable to speak.  
Their kiss was like two pieces that fit together perfectly, it was a strong force yet controlled and gentle. Alex fumbled with his hand to find the beer Claire was holding on to, he placed is between their feet without looking as he found it and moved closer to Claire, closing the last bit of distance between their bodies. In the heat of the moment he accidentally knocked the beer over with his foot as he pulled himself closer. The beer was running in a heavy stream down the bit of grass in front of the porch. They pulled away from each other, out of breath from the kisses they had shared. Alex was still holding his hand on her cheek, feeling electrified from the moment they just shared. He couldn't take his eyes of her, all he wanted was being as close to her as possible.  
Claire tried grasping her head around what had happened as she allowed herself to escape to the beautiful ocean blue eyes that was looking at her, and not just looking, really looking - looking at her in a way no one had ever looked at her before. It made her feel shy and out of place and she felt her cheeks turn red. She then started to laugh, not knowing how to tackle this obscure situation she and Alex was in the middle off. He started to wonder what she was laughing at but her contagious laugh forced a smile on his lips. "What?" he asked, still captured by the beauty he saw in front of him. "This" Claire said and took her eyes off him. The last 5 minutes felt surreal and she wasn't sure if they really had happened or if she had dreamt it all. "Am I this bad of a kisser huh?" Alex asked with a teasing tone of voice, making Claire turn her head still laughing. She stopped as she caught his eyes again. No. Alex wasn't a bad kisser, it was the best kiss she had ever had, she had never felt this way before. She gently shook her head with a crooked smile "No" was the only thing she said and then she tilted her head slightly to the side, trying to capture every inch of him from every possible angle. "Did I hear that right?" Alex said and acted like he was blown away. "Claire McLeod thinks I, Alex Ryan is good at something - Well, what about that" he continued making Claire laugh even harder. The laughing stopped and an feeling of awkwardness started to find them, they just shared their first kiss and none of them new where to go from there. Claire smiled at him nervously trying to figure out what to say but she was lost for words. She was in a position she had no knowledge about, at least not with Alex Ryan. Alex as well was left speechless for once and for the first time in his life he didn't know how to act in front of a woman, he didn't know how to act in front of Claire - It was like everything had changed between them. All he wanted was to pull her close again, put his lips on hers and hold her tight but to much annoyment Nick's heavy steps interrupted them from behind.  
"You ready to leave?" He asked as he was standing a few steps away from them unaware what had happened between the two of them minutes ago. Alex looked at Claire, hoping to get some kind of signal from her - he couldn't just leave like this, they had to talk but Claire just smiled and got on her feet quicker than he liked. "I suppose…" Alex said and gazed at Claire one final time, hoping to catch her eyes but no luck. She turned around with the comment "Goodnight boys" before entering the house.  
"What?" Alex asked as Nick kept looking at him. Nick smiled, feeling something was going on but Alex wasn't in the mood to explain things, he couldn't even explain things to himself. "You coming or what?" Alex asked with his back to Nick as he started to leave the porch. "Yeah yeah" Nick said and shook his head, wondering why Alex was in a hurry all of the sudden.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The sight she got met by as she walked out of the laundry door ached her heart, sending her straight down a roller coaster and the only thing to catch her was a huge empty hole of nothing. Maybe it was her own fault or maybe it was Alex's, maybe they were both to blame - Maybe she should have talked with him, talked about the kiss they shared almost 2 weeks ago but every time she tried she chickened out and it wasn't like Alex had gone out of his way to talk with her about it either, expect from the first couple of days after, but she had somehow found it very hard to deal with so she always found an excuse so she could get out of the conversation, and with time the conversation just didn't appear again. She had tried convincing herself that what she felt inside wasn't real, it was a reaction from everything that had happened with Blaze and the fact she could have gotten herself injured, killed even but when that didn't helped she made herself promise she would do whatever she could to extinguish the flame that had sparked inside of her. But seeing him standing that close to Tess, laughing with her, playing with her hair was too much for her. It angered her that he had the nerve to go around it so lightly, she was pretty sure the feeling that rushed through her body doing their kiss was mutual. She shook her head, saddened by the thought she had lost something that wasn't even hers to begin with. She looked to the ground, reflecting her anger from Alex to herself - Why couldn't she just have told Alex what she really felt instead of pushing him aside and at once her eyes caught his. She froze for a second, trying to make herself invisible but it was too late - even from afar his eyes seemed to question her action, question her, asking what the deal was. She quickly looked away and turned around facing the laundry she just came out of. She couldn't walk past them, she didn't have it in her.  
"Alex? Are you listening to me?" Tess asked noticing his distant look. She turned around to see if she could catch a glimpse of what had caught his attention but there was nothing there. "Alex?" She tried again, this time she pushed him gently on the shoulder. "Sorry" He said and looked back at her "You were saying?" trying to act like he listened but his mind was still holding on to Claire.  
Tess sighed and frowned. "It doesn't matter - I better get on with the work before Claire decides killing me would be the best" her words snapped Alex out of his thoughts. "Killing you?" he asked, eager to know what would cause that kind of reaction from Claire. "She's been really moody lately, more than usual. Have she by any chanced said anything to you?" Tess asked, hoping Alex had the answer to Claire's fuzziness. "I have barely talked with her since the BBQ" Alex said and sighed - he had tried so many times but it had been weird every time, making both him and Claire feel out of place and he was trying to come to terms with the fact their kiss was a one time thing, mistake even. He shook his head, no. Something that good couldn't be a mistake, it was the sweetest moment he had ever experienced but it seemed like he was the only one to feel that way. "Hmm" Tess let out, trying to find her own reason for Claire's mood swings.  
"I better go" Alex said, feeling the urge to get out of there. He had had enough of mixed feelings for now. "You coming by for dinner tonight?" Tess asked with a smile, beginning to warm up to the idea her and Alex could go somewhere with this they had going on. "I really shouldn't" he said, knowing it would be awkward between him and Claire, awkward enough for people to notice.  
"Alex .. You are coming by" Tess said and leaned in to kiss him on his cheek before walking away with a cheeky smile on her face. Alex shook his head and a genuine smile found its way to his mouth. He couldn't say no know.

The dinner went by as Alex had predicted. Him and Claire barely spoke a word to a each other and every time their eyes met either one of them would hurry up and look away. It pained him to have this wall between them, had he known kissing her would cause this he wouldn't have asked her that night, he wouldn't have kissed her - but if they could just talk things over, if she would just talk with him they could figure this out. He sighed as he kicked off his boots on the edge of his bed. Tess had invited him to stay the night but he couldn't bring himself to do it, not now, not with everything left unspoken with Claire and he knew he was being selfish by keeping things up with Tess - It wasn't like he purposely used her, he did fancy her but she wasn't Claire and after their kiss he had come to the conclusion no one could ever come close to her but if she didn't wanted him, if she regret the whole kiss he was allowed to see other people, right?  
He stripped down his jeans and unbuttoned his shirt before he jumped into bed with just enough power to make the frame shake a bit. He let out a deep breath, a combination of a sigh and a breath before he closed his eyes. There was no point in keep pounding on things with Claire, all he wanted was to get his mate back.  
That morning he woke to Harry in his room, telling him to get his ass out of bed and hurry up and get dressed. The famous wild boar, Hannibal, that used to run the woods was back and he was soon to learn that Killarney wasn't the only one to suffer from Hannibal's rummaging - He had been around the fields of Drover's as well.

Claire hadn't slept at all that night, she had been too busy filling her head with thoughts and worries. First the dinner with Alex, which had been more than awkward and she had felt like running out of there more than she could count on two hands - She still wasn't used to see him with Tess and it annoyed her more and more every time she saw them together and when he finally went home, after turning down Tess's proposal about staying the night she felt like she could breath again but then, everything with Hannibal happened. She had been on her way to bed when she heard a loud grizzle outside, making not only her but the rest of the girls run to the back. To her fear she saw Roy lying on the steps with blood everywhere. He had done what he did best, protecting his territory when Hannibal had challenged him to a fight.  
She kneeled down beside him in the laundry, fearing the worst for him. He was barely moving or taking any notice of her. "Hey boy" She said with a gentle voice, feeling her chin trimble. He was trained to work and he functioned as her working dog but he was so much more than that, even though she wouldn't admit it to anyone. At the sound of her voice Roy lifted his head and made a squeaky sound as to say he was happy to see her. She smiled, a little reaction was better than none. "You have a good day hey?" she said and stroked him gently on his head before getting back up. She was determined to find Hannibal and bring justice to the damage he had caused her. She made her way out to the ute where Becky was packing the essentials for their hunt for Hannibal. "You've coordinated with Killarney?" Becky asked as Claire threw a bag in the back of the ute. Claire nodded on her head. She had phoned Killarney early this morning, got a hold on Harry saying he would send Alex and Nick out to hunt as well. "It's my first pig hunt" Becky said as she got the last bag in the ute. "Oh, you'll do fine, you are a great shooter" Claire smiled before making her way back to the kitchen where the rest of the girls were eating breakfast.  
"Why can't I come?" Jodi almost begged. It was the first time Claire had heard anything that resembled excitement from Jodi. "Because you wouldn't know which end of the pig to shoot" Meg said with a crooked smile as she reached for the butter on the table. "Sure I would .. Whichever end that comes running towards me" Jodi answered with a bit of sarcasm in her voice, making Claire let out a small laugh and a shook on her head - She did make a valid point. Claire soon noticed the discomfort on Tess's face. She knew her sister was against killing animals and all that but this was different, Hannibal caused actual damage wherever he went and he had to be stopped. "What?" Claire asked and frowned, locking her eyes onto Tess.  
"I just don't understand the reason why you wanna go on a manhunt for a pig" Tess said and sipped on her coffee. Claire snorted and finished her cup of coffee in one sip. "Roast pork and crackling" She said sarcastically before making her way back outside - she was not in the mood to have this argument with Tess about animal rights.

Claire and Becky was checking the fields in the east paddock, looking for any tracks that could lead them closer to finding Hannibal. "It looks like he has teamed up with a couple of sows" Claire said and took a closer look at the trail of tracks on the ground. "Oh, these are fresh" Claire stated and got up from the ground "We have to be careful now" she continued and loaded the rifle, followed by Becky. They started to make their way further up the hill but they didn't get to take more than a couple of steps before something appeared before them, making both Claire and Becky take aim.  
"Wow, Claire!" Alex voices sounded.  
"Jesus Alex!" She said and released her aim. The second after Nick and Brick appeared behind Alex, they as well was ready with their rifles. She was relieved to see it was Alex and Nick in front of her and for the first time in weeks, seeing Alex didn't give her the urge to run away.  
"I could have taken a shot at you Claire!" Alex said and started to walk closer to the girls. "You idiot! I could have killed ya" Claire said with a serious voice.  
"I thought you were a pig Alex" Becky said teasingly and followed Claire's footsteps. "Yeah ha ha, how was I supposed to know you would be coming up here?"  
"What are you even doing this far over?" Claire asked. She had coordinated with Harry, or she thought she had. "The same thing as you guys" Nick said and joined the rest of them. "Well, have you seen anything?" Claire asked and looked at Alex. "Nah, but there's plenty of tracks around here."  
Claire took a quick look around and couldn't help but roll her eyes at his so called discovery. "Brilliant. There's plenty of tracks all over the place" she said and looked at him again. Alex smiled and shook his head - She was back at being corky with him, that could only mean things were starting to get back to normal between them.  
"It's too dangerous, some of us should go hunt at the Killarney side" Nick said. Alex nodded, it wasn't a stupid idea and this way he could get some time with Claire and maybe even get a moment to talk with her about everything. "Maybe we should swap partners?" he said and smiled teasingly at Claire. "I was THIS close to shooting you" Claire said and showed him the measurement between her fingers. "You wouldn't do that to me" Alex said, perhaps a bit too serious by the look of Claire's eyes. Her eyes briefly reflected her thoughts and they told him she was starting to drift away from him again. "How could you mistake me for a pig?" He quickly continued, trying to lighten the mood he accidentally had created. Claire snorted and shook her head. "Yeah you are right, I thought you were a cow" she said and walked past him, making him let out a small laugh. They joking around like they've always had was a good sign and he would do anything in his power to keep it that way.

The group had split up as Nick had suggested. Becky had taken Drover's ute with Brick to go hunt in the Killarney side, while Alex and Nick stayed with Claire. After hours of driving around the woods and the fields the three of them decided to call it day and they found a good camping spot in the middle of the woods.  
"Anything yet Becky?" Claire asked through the walkie talkie at the car.  
"Nah, Hannibal has gone to ground I reckon. I think we are staying the night and keep an eye out for him"  
"Yeah us too. I don't think we'll get any movement until morning though"  
"Don't let those two get you any grief okay?" Becky's word made Claire send out a small laugh. "Nah I've got my gun. Night" Claire said and shook her head smiling as she placed the walkie talkie back in the ute. "Oh no, she's got a gun. How will I ever sleep tonight?" Alex joked at Claire's comment as he threw some more woods in the fire.  
"Hey, I'm a better shot than you" Claire said and joined the boys around the fire. "I've proved it, remember?" she continued and handed both of them a beer from the cooler. "Oh get away, you were 14 and you were a girl" Alex said and looked at Claire with a shook on his head. "So how come you didn't talk to me a week afterwards?" she asked, doubting his excuses. "Oh that was Nick's idea - I might have let you win but you beat him fair and square" Alex added and took a sip of his beer. "So Alex, how do you cope with the taste of all the manure you are spreading?" Nick said with a shook on his head, not letting Alex blame him that easy. "You see, he is still stingy about it" Alex said and looked at Claire with a smile. "You idiot" Nick said. "Fruit head" Alex snorted making both Claire and Nick laugh. "Try harder Alex" Nick said and stirred the fire with a half smile.  
Alex took another sip of his beer still with a smile on his face. A smile that Claire had missed so much these past two weeks. She secretly studied him, making sure neither of the boys noticed it - She had promised herself to let it go but being in his presence again made it hard to keep that promise and she felt the same feeling stir inside of her. Alex suddenly turned his head her way, he caught her staring at him but she didn't look away, not this time and he didn't either. The magnetic field was back, covering them even deeper now it seemed. Their gaze at each other started to make both of them question the last two weeks and if Nick hadn't been there Alex would have taken his chance and talked about everything that had happened, but now wasn't the time or place to do it. He instead send her a smile before looking away again, one of them had to break the stare before Nick noticed anything.  
"So, when is the last time any of us have seen Hannibal?" Nick suddenly asked interrupting the silence that had found its way to the fire. Claire took a moment to go through the last couple of years. "I think the last time I saw Hannibal was about 4 years ago" She said and stopped for a second to do the math in her head. "Yeah, 4 years ago. I was out with dad and suddenly out of nowhere Hannibal just charged at the ute" she continued with great power behind her voice like she was telling the most incredible story. Alex kept quiet and looked at how Nick and Claire interacted and out of nowhere he became jealous. Jealous of the way they were talking and laughing. He had missed being in her presence so much the last two weeks, missed laughing with her, talking with her just being near her. Claire's laugh made Alex smile, her laugh was the sweetest sound. He shook his head trying to stir his thoughts in a different direction.  
Nick and Alex sat in silence in front of the fire. Claire was dozing off and Alex couldn't help but look at her. She even looked beautiful sleeping. He knew it was wrong of him to go there, he had something going on with Tess and his thoughts wasn't fair to her. "You know, she got breeding plans" Alex suddenly said to try and lead himself away from the path he was about to go down on. Nick looked at Claire with a surprised expression on his face. "Yeah, horse breeding" Alex said as he noticed the confusing in his brother's face. "Really? I haven't heard her talk about it for years" Nick said and started to think about the last time they had talked about horse breeding.  
"Yeah, with Blaze! You should talk to her about it, make some plans" Alex said, trying to be of help to make her dream come true. "Nah, she will talk about it for a while, think about it for a while - nothing's wrong with being sure" Nick said and looked at Claire, knowing too well she wasn't good at making decisions. Alex smiled and looked back at Claire who was still fast asleep. "She is a good breeder that one" he said and kept his eyes a bit longer on Claire than intended realising the gap of silence it caused. "Blaze I mean!" he quickly said but too late, Nick had already seen the way Alex looked at her and he couldn't help but shake his head. He had something going on with Tess but he was looking at Claire like she was the only one for him. "What?" Alex asked, knowing Nick had caught him staring. "Goodnight Alex" Nick said with a smile and made himself comfortable in his sleeping bag.

Claire woke feeling rather groggy from the horrible 2 hours of sleep she had endured - She loved sleeping outside but it wasn't the most comfortable. She was quick to notice Nick was asleep in his sleeping bag but Alex was nowhere to be seen at the fire, his sleeping bag was still folded up nicely. She took a moment to adjust her eyes to the dark as she looked around to see if she could spot him anywhere and there he was, sitting on a stump of tree further away from the camp. She started to make her way over there, carefully not to wake Nick and she wondered. Wondered why he wasn't asleep and why he had pulled himself away from the warmth of the fire.  
"Hey" She said and took a seat beside him on the stump, he looked at her as he was surprised to see her. "I thought you were asleep" he said with a voice that made Claire worry. He not only looked sad, he also sounded sad and his eyes looked like they were trying to cope with a lot of trouble. "You never sleep great in a sleeping bag, do you?" Claire said and smiled at him but it had no effect on him. "What's wrong aigh?" she tried, hating seeing Alex this way. He sighed and kicked around in the dirt with his foot. He had done nothing but look at Claire while she had been asleep and with Nick sleeping as well his mind was free to go down that path it shouldn't, him and Claire. It drived him crazy not knowing where they stood with each other. One moment they were kissing, the next they weren't talking and suddenly they are back to acting almost as normal with each other as they used to - He was happy they were back to normal but he couldn't let go of that feeling he had inside, the feeling he doubted only he had. Before he knew it something made him turn to face her. Maybe it was the bright eyes of hers, maybe it was how her hair curved, maybe it was the sweet scent around her maybe it was the tiny details in her skin that complimented her so well, maybe it was the thought of how sweet and soft her lips had been when they kissed that made him do it - but before he could stop and think he found himself kissing her, not just a kiss, a real kiss, one of the deep ones and she kissed him back. Taking in every tasteful kiss between them, embracing them, pulling them closer he suddenly realised what he was doing. He stopped and looked at Claire, she was caught by surprise with his kiss, he was as well. What was he doing? He couldn't just go around and kiss her like that, it didn't do either of them any good it made everything much more complicated if anything.  
"I'm .. sorry" He said, still gazing at her. Claire didn't say anything, she was left speechless again. Her mind was racing with questions, trying to make sense of it all. He kept looking at her, waiting for her to say something but she didn't. She just kept looking at him like she didn't knew what to do, but she didn't. She was caught of gaurd, taken by surprise and just as she thought she had managed to start getting her mixed feelings under control he go and kiss her.  
"Alex … " She said as he got up from the stump in a jump, knowing she had taken too long to respond to what he was waiting for. "It's okay, forget it. I'm sorry Claire" He said and quickly turned away from her, making his way back to the fire. It was stupid of him to spring on her like that, they obviously didn't feel the same things, her silence gave him his answer but she did kiss him back or was he just mistaking? He shook his head, cursing himself for being this stupid. "Nick, get up" he said and kicked to his brother's leg, wanting to get a move on again, find Hannibal and get home, away from Claire. "It's still dark" Nick growled and slowly pulled himself out of his sleeping bag. He looked at how Alex was packing up their things in the ute and realised Claire wasn't sleeping beside him anymore. "Oi Claire, you coming?" He asked as he caught her a few meters away.  
"In a minute" Claire quickly said as cheerful as she could as she dried away the tears that came running down her cheeks. She didn't mean to keep Alex hanging like that but their kiss mixed everything up again - He kissed her but he had something going on with Tess, was he confused? Had she done anything to cause this? She shook her head and felt a sting to her heart. If he would have stayed with her, just a bit longer instead of running away she would have told him how she really felt, how his kiss made her feel but him doing so made her think he regretted he kissed her, like he couldn't control it and it just happened because he was confused. She pulled herself up from the stump and walked the few meters back to the boys with heavy feet. She grabbed whatever Alex hadn't already thrown in the back of the ute without a word to neither Nick or Alex.

The hours to followed consisted of the three of them being on the hunt for Hannibal. Nick tried to talk but Claire and Alex remained silent throughout the rest of the hunt, only saying a few words here and there when Nick asked but he rarely did, he could feel the tension.  
They arrived back at Drover's without having any luck finding Hannibal and both Nick and Alex had agreed he had moved on, passed their properties and seeked other fields to roam on - which was good but Claire would still have liked to put an end to him, keep him from doing anymore damage around there. She suddenly remembered Roy and was in great eager to get out of the ute as fast as she could to check how he was doing. "Claire, wait" Alex said as she got out of it, ready to go back to the house. Nick was already out of the ute and on his way to the house to have himself a cold drink before they headed home to Killarney, so he took his chance - he regretted leaving Claire like that in the woods, making it sound like their kiss or his kiss was a mistake. Claire stopped in front of the door and waited to hear him out but his eyes already told her what it was about, the kiss. She knew he had a hard time talking about feelings, especially with her and he obviously regretted he kissed her out there so she decided to make it easy for him, letting him know she was okay - but she wasn't.  
"Alex look .. Don't think about it okay? Like you said, forget it" her words ached her tiny heart so much it felt like it was about to stop beating. She forced a smile on her lips and took a final glance at him before leaving his side. "See you around" she said with her back to him as she started walking. She tried to act cheerful, tried acting like nothing was wrong but inside she was dying, feeling an emptiness consume her. Alex frowned, trying to grasp his head around what just happened - for what it looked like, Claire didn't had an interest in him, at least not the same he had in her. He sighed, of course she hadn't. She was Claire.  
"Hi!" Tess's voice startled him, he hadn't noticed her coming up to the side of the ute, he had been too busy looking at Claire walk away, digest the fact she didn't feel the same for him. He turned to look at Tess, her cheerful smile did its very best to hold the pieces of his heart together, Claire just ripped apart. "Hi yourself" he said and gave her a tiny smile. Know he knew for sure where Claire stood and he knew Tess wanted him, so in that moment he decided to see where that road could lead him, lead them.  
He got out of the ute forcing Tess to take a step back and then he stopped to take a look at her. "What?" She asked curiously as he kept looking at her like she was from outer space. He took a step closer to her and leaned in to plant a kiss on her mouth, the mouth he had used to kiss Claire with only hours ago. He pulled away and took a look at her, it made him smile. She didn't look surprised or like she didn't like the kiss - she smiled, a huge grin. "Well okay, I was just going for a hug but this works" Tess said and let out a small laugh. "I have to get back to Killarney, shower and catch some sleep but I could come back tonight, if you want?" Alex asked. "I would very much like that" Tess said with a smile and stroke him on the arm, feeling excited for them to finally take this somewhere and quit the game. "Done deal then" Alex said and gave her quick kiss on her cheek, before taking his seat in his ute again. "You don't want to come in?" Tess asked surprised. "Nick is there?"  
"Nah, I'll just wait for him here but you go ahead" he said with a smile but as soon as Tess had left his side the smile disappeared. As he had kissed Tess all he could think of was Claire and the reason why he couldn't go in there now was also because of her - it was easier tonight, when everybody would be asleep. He sighed, if he was going to give this a shot with Tess he had to get Claire out of his mind, he had to forget her and stop thinking about her like that. He knew he wouldn't want to lose her as a mate, so he had to try and find a way to get them back on track and in that moment he promised himself he would do everything in his power to give him and Tess a real chance, try and forget Claire and him had ever kissed and just be her mate, it couldn't be that hard, right?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

During the last couple of weeks Claire had watch Alex come and go at every hour of the day. She had watched Alex and Tess kiss, hug, laugh, watched them being together - like a couple. She hated every minute of it, her heart still ached more and more every time she saw them together and even though she had promised herself not to get attached, not to feel anything, she couldn't get past the kisses they had shared, she couldn't kill the flame inside of her. It sparked and even more now that she realised how bad she wanted him. In the process of watching her sister and Alex together she had become more distant and her and Alex barely talked. At first people, mostly Tess, had questioned both of them about it but with time it seemed like everyone, including Alex and Claire had come to terms with reality. Only Meg had a hunch but dared to speak about it.  
Claire shook her head, she was tired of seeing them together, watch how he always embraced her every time he came around - She hated what they had become, she hated seeing her best mate so far away from her. She missed him, more than words could describe but the feeling of being left behind lingered to her heart and no matter what she tried it wouldn't go away. Tess's laugh echoed in her ears as Alex joked. A joke Claire didn't catch, she tried as hard as she could to tune out his voice, his presence but it was hard, especially today - It felt like every cell inside of her worked against her, all they wanted was Alex, no matter the cost. She caught his eyes across the kitchen table but she quickly looked away, afraid of what it would stir in her but he kept looking, she saw it in the corner of her eye and she instantly started to feel angry. Angry at him, at her, at Tess - The whole situation made her angry and hurt. Everything hurt.  
"Do you plan on keep slacking around here?" Claire asked out of the blue. Her voice was cold and harsh. "Excuse me?" Tess asked as she placed herself at the table. Her face was a question mark and she tried to figure out what had caused Claire to attack her like that. "I have enough on my plate to be doing your work, we all have!" Claire said and felt the room go quiet. No one was talking or laughing anymore and she knew she had raised her voice more than she intended.  
"Well I'm sorry that I have a life beside all the work around here - It's not my fault your true love is Drover's but I don't plan on it to be mine!" Tess stated making Claire look up from her plate. The spoken words hit Claire in a way she hadn't seen coming. She locked eyes with Alex and she could feel how the tears was pressing to get out - Drover's wasn't her true love. He was and she got a feeling he could see it by the way she looked at him. She got up in a hurry, afraid she couldn't control the tears that was about to run down her cheeks. As she closed the door to the study she breathed out in relief and let the tears fall in a heavy stream. What was she turning into? This wasn't her, she never exploded like that and she had regret it instantly but somehow she couldn't stop it and before she knew it the harsh words had crossed her lips.

"What is going on with her?!" Tess asked the others around the table, surprised to see Claire act this way. "Something's been bothering her for a while" Meg said and discreetly looked at Alex. He caught her stare and knew what she was on about and it made him out of place. This was one big mess and he was the cause of it all - if only he hadn't kissed her, sprung on her like he had.  
"Well what is it?" Tess asked with eager, wanting to know what the whole deal was.  
"Let me talk with her, I think I know what this is about" Alex said and excused himself from the table.  
He tried knocking on the door but he didn't get an answer. He looked at the closed door for a couple of seconds, wondering what sight would meet him inside.  
"Claire?" he called out with a soft voice. She was standing with her back to the door so he couldn't get a glimpse of her face, but taken how her shoulder and head moved up and down he knew she was crying. He kept walking towards her and without thinking he placed a hand on her shoulder, which made her hulking stop for a second, almost as she was surprised to have him at her side but then it started again. It ached his heart knowing he was the cause to her sadness, her grief. He never wanted this to happen, he never wanted to see her like this.  
"What's wrong?" he asked but already knowing the answer. "Nothing" Claire answered trying to get her sobbing together. She pulled away from him, his touch made it harder for her to function. "I know I'm not much of a talker but you can talk to me, you know that right?"  
Claire snorted and turned around "And that is exactly the problem"  
"What is?" he asked. "You not being a talker…" Claire said with a bit of sarcasm in her voice. Alex knew what she was on about but it wasn't fair to put it all on him, he recalled her being quite the silence herself. "Explain Claire, please" He said ignoring her comment. "Forget it Alex, nothing good will come out of it .." Claire said and shook her head. There was no point, he was with Tess now and she had no intention of breaking them up. She might love him but she wouldn't do that to her sister. She looked up at him, seeing him stand with pleading eyes and the feeling of wanting to be with him was even stronger. She had to get out of there before she lost the last bit of control she had left.  
"Why are you always doing this?" Alex asked as Claire passed him by on her way out of the room. "Do what?" she stopped just outside the study awaiting his answer. "Running when you get confronted" he asked with a strong voice turning his body to face her. "I'm not running"  
"You are"  
"I'm not!"  
"But you are!" their tone of voice got higher and higher and Alex felt even more frustrated now. Not only did she run from problems but she was also so damn stubborn she never would admit it. Claire shook her head and her eyes turned fierce. How dared he stand in front of her and tell her she was the one running, when both of them damn well knew he up and left that night in the woods. She let out a small laugh and took a second to calm herself. "Alex don't go there" she said as calm as she could. "Go where Claire, huh? I'm not the one running" Alex answered in a hard tone of voice as he took one step closer to the door. "You are not running?" Claire snorted. "So what do you call the night of the hunt then. Guess that isn't running is it?!" Claire's voice was getting more fierce and she felt the anger rush through her entire body. "So we are back at that are we?!" Alex almost yelled. He knew what it was all about but hearing her say it pained him too much and he hated himself for leaving her that night in the woods, he had ever since - but him and Tess being together complicated things now. "Just drop it Alex" Claire said and shook her head. She was determined not to go there. "Yeah maybe I should, it seems to be what you are best at anyway - It doesn't hurt to be unsure about things once in awhile. Unless you are Claire freaking McLeod!"  
Claire's eyes got big and her look even more harsh. How dared he? He was the one to run away from her and he had been the one to kiss her and then act like nothing happened. "Me?!" Claire stated  
"Yeah you!"  
"You kissed me, remember?! .. TWICE!" Claire yelled more than she had in awhile. Alex suddenly got quiet, he had nothing to say, no smart remark up his sleeve to throw her way - she was right. He did kiss her, twice and he had missed it ever since. Claire shook her head, he got quiet … again, it was just typical. After a couple of seconds she realised she had been yelling at the top of her lungs in the hallway, everyone else in the kitchen had been bound to hear her, hear them. _Tess_ she thought to herself and instantly regretted blurring their kisses out to everyone a mile away. She looked at him, studied every movement in his face and a single tear started to fall down her cheek. This was too much, not only had she ruined things between her and Alex, there was no saying whether or not they could fight back from this but she had also caused a weird tension between Tess and Alex. She quickly turned around and walked with heavy feet up the stairs, she needed to get away and fast.

Alex walked into the kitchen and found Tess sitting alone at the table, he figured they others had pulled away after Claire had thrown their kisses out there. She didn't look sad, as he had expected her to do but more confused and although there was a bit of hurt in her eyes she still looked calm and at peace. He didn't say anything, what could he say? He just waited for her to say something, take the lead on where this conversation would go. "The kisses …" Tess finally said, she was still trying to figure out how to go around everything. "I'm sorry you had to find out that way but it was before me and you, sort of anyway" Alex said and studied her carefully, waited for her to throw a fit but she didn't. "Alex you're not sorry" Tess spoke after a couple of second with silence. He looked at her as he tried to understand what she was on about, he was sorry for putting her through this but he was even more sorry that he had hurt Claire in the way he had. Tess saw the confused look on her face and got up from the chair to get closer to him.  
"You and I .. What we have is good, it's great but" She stopped, carefully considering her next words. It was no secret Alex and Claire had a special bond together, they always had and they probably always would and she had always had this feeling of something going on between them, some invisible force that kept luring them towards each other only to cause chaos around them but it wasn't until now, that Claire had, involuntary of course, spilled out their kisses that she final understood everything. Her and Alex could never be a real couple, maybe for a while but it wouldn't last - she saw that clearly now and she found a bit of comfort in that, knowing she hadn't been acting crazy or imagined things. "I'm not Claire, Alex" Tess finally continued. He looked confused at her, what was she trying to say? Tess smiled at him and placed a hand on his arm, feeling a bit of sadness fill her heart as she was about to say her final words but she knew it was for the best, not only for her but Alex and Claire as well. "Go make things right with her, before it's too late" she said and squeezed his arm gently before taking a step back. Alex kept trying to grasp his head around what just happened. Tess just broke off with him so he could go a be with Claire, or did he misinterpret something. "Now Alex" Tess said with a half laugh as she saw how he struggled with the bit of information she had just given him. "Go up there and get your woman"  
And as Tess said her final words Alex final woke from his slumber, knowing the right thing to do. "Thank you" he said with a smile and planted a kiss on her cheek before he left the kitchen. He almost ran up the stairs with a great pace, eager to find Claire, tell her that he loved her, that he had always loved her and he wanted nothing but her. He didn't even bother to knock on the door, he walked straight in and to what seemed like a surprise to Claire, her startled look gave her away. He took a minute to watch her, unable to speak. He knew exactly what to say on his way up to her room but as she was sitting in front of him, he completely froze in place. He needed to say it right, make her understand.  
"If you are back here to try and lecture me you can forget about .." Was all she got to say before Alex's movement stopped her. He was standing right in front of her now, she could almost feel his heartbeat and his breath danced around on her nose every time he breathed out. "Claire, shut up will ya?" He said with a smile and watched how Claire's face started to release the tension she had build up inside. He put his hands on her arms, forcing her to look at him, stand in front of him and listen to his next word.  
"I love you McLeod, I love you so damn much" he said and waited to see how she would respond to the words he should have said weeks ago, the words he should had said instead of running away with his tail between his legs.  
"I love you too" Claire heard herself say without thinking and she felt her heart start to mend itself back together only to explode in a million piece from all the happiness she felt right now. She couldn't even begin to explain how she felt inside. Alex smiled at her and pulled her in. He studied her eyes like he had a thousand times before and then he kissed her but this time he wasn't running away, never again. He had her, he finally got her - Got his Claire.


End file.
